Asian American theater is a large coverall term for an amalgamation of years of contributions to drama from Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and other Asian communities from across the world. Most noticeably beginning with a demand for entertainment from the Chinese labor community operas, puppet shows, and acrobatics were imported from China to satisfy audiences. One example of a company that operated in that period of the 1850s could be Tung Hook Tong. After congress passed the Asian Exclusion act in 1870 and anti-Chinese sentiments began to flare up, Chinese people began to leave California and start new Chinatowns and opera houses in New York and other cities. Eventually, interest in traditional performances diminished and by the 1930s theatre became Chinese-language cinema, but apart from those who imitated white actors in nightclubs, Asian actors were excluded from live performance. Even when there was a main Asian character in a play, for example The King and I the roles were filled by a white actors and Asians were relegated to secondary and servile roles. One reason there may have not been a lot of crossover would be that Asian and Western drama had some differences in structure and also language barriers and moral issues. Not to mention the Japanese internment camps of WWII that kept Japanese Americans out of the public sphere. However things began to shift in the 1960s in the midst of the civil rights era, Asian actors and director banded together to make the ensemble group East West Players in LA and they showcased classics and plays set in Asia. in 1973 two sister acts were formed and new plays were made that detailed the frustrations of the Asian American community and destroyed old stereotypes. One such play was Chickencoop Chinaman by Frank Chin. The theatres grew and focused on themes of JApanese American internment, generational clashes, and racism among other things. Other than a select few like David Henry Hwang, most Asian American playwrights have not been able to cross over.